News on 0.70

Hi everyone,

first I would like to apologize for being rather silent this past week. I usually like to post something every 3-4 days whenever possible, but I just couldn't spare even a minute to write something, let alone create some special renders. 100% of my available time is currently reserved for finishing the new update or taking care of a variety of problems. There is also a wee chance that I may have to delay the release by a day or two, but it's a bit too early to tell for sure as of now. I will ultimately let you know this upcoming Monday how things are going and if I can make it. I'm also slightly burnt-out due to a rather shitty beginning of 2025 on several fronts in my private life as well as with things regarding the development of Summer In The City. The messy situation with the GPU isn't helping either. I will give a quick update on this matter down below.

In the big picture, there is no need to worry though. I'm still 100% committed to making this project as fun and as successful as possible within its niche genre, and that won't change. I also can't wait to begin working on Season Two as soon as Season One has been released on Steam. I have so many fun ideas for Summer and the bunch, there's already more than enough material in my "book of ideas" for another ten seasons (slightly exaggerated)!

And now to what I usually do first: a massive "Thank You" to all new members for showing some love towards Summer. Your contribution keeps this project alive and well! I'll be more active again as soon as the new update has been released. Can't wait for you to play it!

GAME NEWS

I am currently working on the renders for the very last and biggest scene of the new update. There are also a few renders for other scenes I'd like to rerender due to either some visual glitches I've noticed too late, or the plain and simple fact that I don't really like the ones I've done before anymore, and I could do them better. But there are only very few of these, not a big deal. I'm mostly worried about not being able to finish the code in time while also still having to edit some stuff in photoshop for the UI ingame. I can't afford a single hiccup from here on out, and I'll do my best to not let that happen. But realistically, it might, hence the warning for a possible brief delay.

UPDATE ON THE GPU SITUATION

For those who have no clue what I'm referring to, please read the previous "News on 0.70" post if you're interested.

Things are still rather obscure and infuriating. On one hand, the person I bought the GPU from seems like he's genuinely interested in solving this matter in a peaceful way, without involving the courts. On the other hand though, he seems very reluctant to solve it quickly by just sending me a new replacement GPU, despite him stating that he has an abundance of these cards laying around in his storage (which sounds like bullshit to me considering that these cards are in high demand and hardly available). He also refuses to just send me my money back.

I agreed to let him make use of the card's warranty with the manufacturer MSI, mainly because I really really don't want to get into a legal battle for obvious reasons. It would require a lot of time and cost a lot of money until the final verdict is reached. Yesterday, he sent me a .pdf with the reclamation process details. According to MSI, the final conclusion will be shared on January 31st at the very latest. This is the very last straw. Should I not receive a replacement card by then and should he still refuse to pay back my money, I will have to take the legal route and take him to court unfortunately. Wish me luck that this shitshow finally finds a proper ending in two days. I'm so tired.

Well, that's it for now. Sorry for being a bit of a Debby Downer today, but I'm also only human, believe it or not. Glad to have all of you though. And I'd also like to thank my Discord community for helping me battle the suspicious itch.io ratings. You really came through, and it genuinely warmed my heart. The suspicious ratings have been removed and Summer In The City is back on track and even increased its ratings. Thank you all for supporting Summer, not only in a monetary way, but also with sparing your priceless time. Much love!

Flip